Chapter 264: Chapter 260: Li Xingyuan, He Actually…

“Don’t you all think that the misunderstanding among these villagers is rather hasty?” Tang Xiaobai asked.

“Yes!” Tao Fen, still shaken, replied, “I didn’t even look exactly like those bandits, yet they acted as if they were possessed, not listening to anything I said!”

“And you just let yourself be captured?”

“I swore an oath never to harm innocent people who don’t know martial arts,” Tao Fen mumbled.

Tang Xiaobai was speechless for a moment before saying, “So were you just going to let them beat or kill you?”

At this point, Tao Fen felt aggrieved: “I originally thought to follow them back and explain slowly, but they wouldn’t listen at all.”

“Yeah, they even wanted to dig out your heart and offer it to the dead!” Tang Xiaobai said irritably.

Tao Fen gasped: “How can these people be so vicious?”

“The people of the Three States Outside the Pass have long suffered being plundered by the Turkic people; their fierceness is for self-preservation,” Tang Xiaobai sighed and looked at Li Mu. “Once we pacify the north and south of the Yellow River, they won’t have to live in such fear anymore.”

Li Mu gave her a slight smile and nodded.

Tao Fen felt a sweetness in his heart.

Whenever the Second Miss spoke, he looked like he was ready to roll up his sleeves and act.

Oh, how spoiled she is!

When will we be able to drink their wedding wine?

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Tang Xiaobai ask, “Are we there?”

Tao Fen came to his senses, glanced around, and nodded, “This is the place! This is where I encountered those people!”

Everywhere you pass, there must be traces.

Beside Li Mu, Mo Ji is a talent skilled in tracking.

Following the traces left by the thieves, they captured the murderous bandits that night.

Tang Xiaobai only learned about it from Qin Rong the next morning, but she didn’t feel any lighter: “Since bandits are rampant, it’s not just this group; there are probably similar problems in Shuozhou and Weizhou, and who knows how many more people will suffer…”

“It’ll be fine once the Court sends officials to manage things,” Gu Hui consoled.

During the Turkic people’s occupation of the Three States Outside the Pass, local officials were either killed or fled like Lv Xia, and the remaining ones surrendered.

In short, there’s a shortage of people!

We can only wait for the Court to send people, but who knows how long that will take.

“It’s not that bad,” Qin Rong chuckled, “Ah Xiao ordered all the captured bandits from yesterday to be beaten to death and left the bodies in front of the government office for the people to see. Tsk-tsk… Even at such a young age, he’s quite ruthless!”

Tang Xiaobai was momentarily stunned and instinctively retorted, “In times of chaos, severe measures are needed; he did it to intimidate!”

“Yes! Yes!” Tao Fen happened to walk over, overhearing this and eagerly chimed in, “From what I see, Young Master Qin may be young, but he’s decisive in his actions—a person who accomplishes great things!” Even when it comes to courting girls, he’s more decisive than others, waiting every day for the little girl to grow up.

Truly impressive!

Tang Xiaobai, seeing him, remembered the many questions she didn’t have time to ask yesterday: “How did you come so quickly? Didn’t you stay a few more days in the Capital City?”

“The Capital City… there wasn’t much going on, so I left,” Tao Fen replied, awkwardly.

Tang Xiaobai knew about his engagement to the girl he accidentally hurt years ago.

Tao Fen was attentive to his fiancée’s affairs, big and small, but seemed not as concerned about the engagement itself.

Though a bit puzzled, Tang Xiaobai said nothing and continued with her questions: “How is my family? How are my mother and sister? Did they ask about me? Did they leave any messages?”

“They’re all well! All well!” Tao Fen nodded cheerfully, “As soon as Miss Tao Zi returned to the Duke Yan Mansion, she was detained by the madam for questioning, while the eldest miss remained calm and didn’t ask much…”

Tang Xiaobai listened and smiled.

The eldest miss wouldn’t be the type to impatiently bombard with questions, would she? She cares about her dignity, right?

After learning that she went to Hedong again, her mother said nothing but urged her to take care of herself, while her sister, as expected, scolded her a bit.

Speaking of messages, Tao Fen put down a cloth bag that had been slung over his shoulder.

The bag was just an ordinary one, dirty and old, filled to about a third of its capacity, making a rustling sound as Tao Fen took it off his shoulder.

“What’s this?” Tang Xiaobai curiously asked.

“The eldest miss asked me to bring it to you,” Tao Fen said.

Initially, Tang Xiaobai didn’t believe it; how could the eldest miss use such an old bag?

But then Tao Fen pulled another bag out of that dirty old one.

This one couldn’t be called a bag; it was more like a large brocade bag.

Made of dark green woven silk, embroidered with exquisite treasures patterns.

This kind of fabric is typically worn by ordinary families, but the eldest miss of the Duke Yan Mansion is extravagant enough to use it for a bag—no, a brocade bag.

“I have no idea what it is either,” Tao Fen said.

Tang Xiaobai weighed it and found it not too heavy.

She opened it——

Wow!

Almost blinded!

The bag was full of gold leaves!

“I… This…” Tang Xiaobai stammered.

In the frontier, she couldn’t even spend money!

“The wealth of the Duke Yan Mansion is indeed massive!” Qin Rong clicked his tongue in wonder nearby.

Tang Xiaobai hadn’t said anything, and Gu Hui anxiously explained: “These are all gifts from Your Majesty!”

“I didn’t say they stole it; why the rush?” Qin Rong gave him a sideways glance.

The pure-hearted young man immediately blushed.

Tang Xiaobai glanced at the two of them and quietly put away the bag of gold leaves.

As someone from the Duke Yan Mansion, she naturally knew that her family wasn’t as clean as Gu Hui claimed.

The Duke Yan Mansion’s wealth came firstly from the Tang Family’s accumulation over generations—the Tang Family was in the military for generations, each leaving only a single heir, thus conserving the family wealth more easily than others.

Secondly, it came from Gu Ning’s dowry; Gu Ning is the only daughter of the Eldest Princess of Ji Country, and the latter is the former emperor’s full-blooded sister, loved through three generations of emperors, with plenty of gold and silk granted as gifts. When Gu Ning married, her dowry was just slightly less than that of a princess.

Thirdly, it was from the Court’s rewards; the merits of the Duke Yan and his son were illustrious, rewarded not only with titles but also with wealth.

The last part was more of a gray area.

For example, the boxes Tang Shigong brought back when he returned to the Capital were war spoils—it’s rare not to plunder during war. This time, attacking the Turkic Royal Capital probably netted another windfall.

After stowing away the thoughtfulness of the eldest miss, she asked Tao Fen: “Is Yuan… still around?”

The departure of Li Xingyuan from Zhenzhou was to be kept secret, so she didn’t dare say the full name “Yuan Xing.”

But those in the know understood.

For instance, Qin Rong’s expression changed at the sound of “Yuan”: “Him?”

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback and nodded.

“By the time I arrived, he seemed to have already returned,” Tao Fen whispered.

Tang Xiaobai just began to relax when Qin Rong suddenly shouted: “Li Xingyuan actually—” Realizing she couldn’t say more, she abruptly stopped.

However, her demeanor was of one who had been forsaken, looking forlorn and disbelieving.

This sight made Tang Xiaobai’s heart skip a beat, and she cautiously asked her: “Miss Qin, you and Prince Li…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep